Our S2S Adventure - Freedom / Spirit (with pics) - 1/7/23

[Elsammo46]

2 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

 

 

 

So you can relax in the hot tub and watch a whole bunch of people work out? That is an interesting design choice for sure lol 

[Jamman54]

Moving forward on Deck 3 from the Empire Restaurant is the Deco Foyer Lounge…..

 

 

 

 

On the port side is Soul Play which is the Arts & Crafts venue on the ship. Patti went there one day and got even more pictures……

 

 

 

 

 

 

Patti took the aft elevators up to Deck 9 to the La Playa Grille (Lido Restaurant)…..

 

 

At the very aft of the Lido Restaurant, you’ll find the Pizza Pirate and the Salad Bar…..

 

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

Patti goes to the very aft of Deck 9 and checks out the Serenity area. I can't believe that there were people actually in the hot tub…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Serenity Bar is busy…..

 

 

There’s also a small Coffee Bar back here…..

 

 

Around 12:45 Patti came for me at the Red Frog Rum Bar and we went to grab some lunch. Though it was crowded we managed to find a table for two. Patti grabbed something from the Deli……

 

 

 

I went to my favorite place for lunch on the Spirit Class ships, Chopsticks……

 

 

 

This venue becomes the Seafood Corner every evening with the same menu that the Seafood Shack offers on the ships that have them. After we ate, I made a reservation for the Steakhouse at a table they had set up nearby…..

 

 

To be continued…..

[Kathscof]

On 2/6/2023 at 3:10 PM, Jamman54 said:

Day # 9 - (January 12^th) – Goodbye Freedom, Hello Fort Lauderdale! 

 

We were up at 6am just as the Carnival Freedom was sailing into the channel at Port Canaveral. The ship was docked at Terminal 5 at 6:45 am. It’s a chilly 57 degrees this morning. Here are some early morning views of Port Canaveral…..

 

 

 

 

Here is the General Debarkation information…..

 

 

 

Here is our Diamond Debarkation information…..

 

 

We had put our luggage outside the door last night, so we were scheduled to meet in the Chic Restaurant at 7:45am. We got our stuff together and we were down there at 7:20. Diamond luggage debarkation began just before 8am. We breezed through customs via facial recognition. We found our bags in Zone 1 easily, and by some miracle all three bags were together. We grabbed a porter, and we were at our car in no time at all. We paid for our parking as we exited. The cost was $110 ($22 / day). We were on our way to Fort Lauderdale at 8:30.

 

While driving down to Fort Lauderdale, Patti and I had time to reflect about our time on the Freedom. We loved the ship but were sad about the lack of a whale tail. Of course, that will be fixed in October. All the crew, right up to the Senior Officers, were a very happy crew, and that reflected on how well they performed their jobs. We wouldn’t hesitate to sail on her again. The weather was perfect for the whole cruise, and we really enjoyed our time, and our cabanas, in both Amber Cove and Grand Turk. In addition, it was great to see some old Cruise Critic friends once again.

 

Another thing that Patti and I agree on is that we will never do a stand-alone cruise shorter than seven days again. Five days is just too short. If the ship we’re booked on is doing shorter than seven-day cruises, we will make it into a B2B to make sure that we are on that ship no less than seven days.

 

After three and a half hours we were approaching our destination. We could tell that when this jet tried to land on our car heading into the Fort Lauderdale airport!

 

 

We couldn’t check into our hotel yet, so we went to lunch at the nearby Hollywood (Miller’s) Ale House…..

 

 

 

To be continued…..

driving under a plane AND an Ale House?!?! top post! hahahaha I hope you got zingers!

[Kathscof]

On 2/6/2023 at 7:02 PM, Jamman54 said:

You usually don’t see this kind of car parked in a handicap space. 

 

 

 

We have our table and our first drinks…..

 

 

 

Patti had the Zingers, and I had the pot stickers and a spicy chicken sandwich…..

 

 

 

 

After another round of drinks, we went over to our hotel. We are staying at the Springhill Suites in Dania Beach…..

 

 

This is the Front Desk of the Springhill Suites…..

 

 

To be continued…..

I was too excited to see what you ordered before I posted....but zingers....AS ONE SHOULD ALWAYS 🙂 loving the recap!

[pe4all]

Loved Bonsai Sushi on Spirit.  DD had takeout sushi there 3x.  I was also surprised at the quality of the food at Chopsticks.  I got something from there every lunch.  Their eggplant dish was soooo good!

[sgttami]

Thanks for sharing another adventure, Jeff.

 

Always so nicely done!

[TxTeach79]

Love the Spirit class Serenity! And I get it.... we logged some quality hot tub time on MIracle in Alaska, and it was wonderful! Lounging in a hot tub as you float through glaciers - unforgettable!

[nybumpkin]

9 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I didn't know some of the ships still had the hot tub in the spa area - I think they got rid of them on most ships. I loved it when Glory had one - it was never crowded. The down side with them on the Spirit-class ships is that there's an overhead skylight that is in the middle of the mini golf course. Nothing like having golfers look down at you in the hot tub.😮

[vacationlover16]

13 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

We wish! Thanks for the kind words. I'm sure you can find great reviews on all the boards. Have you ever thought of trying one? It is a lot of work but it's a great way of re-living your cruise long after it's over. Have a great cruise on the Magic! 😎

I did a quick review of my solo Disney trip in the Patreon group I belong to on a social media site. in January. Even that little bit was a lot, ha. But I have considered reaching out to do some reviews for some cruise podcasts I listen too. I might think about reviewing our DCL cruise on here upon our return. 😀

[vacationlover16]

10 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

Here are a couple more pictures of Miami taken from up on Deck 11…..

 

 

 

 

Patti goes down to Deck 10 forward and checks out Camp Ocean…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued…..

Looks awesome! Can't wait for my kiddos, niece and nephews to explore in November!

[Princess Cruiser27]

Another great read on FLL. One year I did stay at the Ritz Calton on the beach in FLL.  I had dinner at a Irsh Pub. I think it was near Hooters. 

[Jamman54]

At 1:15pm our Cruise Director Todd made the announcement that all the cabins were ready, so we made our way back down there. My piece of luggage had arrived, but Patti’s hadn’t. I used this time to get myself unpacked.

 

We hung out in the cabin until sail away which was at 3:30. Patti’s luggage still hadn’t arrived, so she was going to stay in the cabin and wait for it. Besides, it was freezing out there. She could watch the sights by sitting on the bed and looking out the balcony door. That left it up to me to go out on the open decks and document our sail away on camera. I hope I did her proud. As soon as I stepped outside I saw our old friend the Carnival Sunrise prepare to sail by us…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was hoping for a horn battle, but it didn’t happen. Looking west down the channel you could see the Celebrity Summit and Virgin’s Valiant Lady which Megan is on. I bet she’s on her 5^th or 6^th drink by now. Lol…..

 

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

This is the parking garage we are parked in. You could almost see our car. We’re parked on the first level by the gap in the wall mid picture…..

 

 

 

The Carnival Spirit has pushed away from Terminal “D”…..

 

 

We are going to follow the Sunrise out to sea…..

 

 

 

Here is Norwegians Terminal here in Miami. There are no Norwegian ships in port today…..

 

 

 

 

Looking back towards the turning basin…..

 

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

This is Royal Caribbean’s Terminal in Miami…..

 

 

We are sailing by the Symphony of the Seas…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued…..

[Elaine5715]

I knew reading this was a huge mistake! You hit me right in the sweet spots.  Love the watermelon margaritas at Miller's which was an easy walk from my hotel on Stirling.  I watched Dania Pointe raise from nothing, was there right before the shutdown as places were just opening and am thrilled to be heading back soon.  

Funny that was originally on the Freedom sailing out of Miami before they swapped in the Spirit.  

I am already excited to be sailing on the Spirit in two weeks, now I am DYING!  

[Jamman54]

Here are a couple of views of the Causeway…..

 

 

 

The Fisher Island Ferry is loading up…..

 

 

 

The ferry from Fisher Island has to wait to unload…..

 

 

 

 

Here are a few views looking towards Miami Beach…..

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

7 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

I knew reading this was a huge mistake! You hit me right in the sweet spots.  Love the watermelon margaritas at Miller's which was an easy walk from my hotel on Stirling.  I watched Dania Pointe raise from nothing, was there right before the shutdown as places were just opening and am thrilled to be heading back soon.  

Funny that was originally on the Freedom sailing out of Miami before they swapped in the Spirit.  

I am already excited to be sailing on the Spirit in two weeks, now I am DYING!  

 

We can feel your excitement! Glad we were able to get you in the proper frame of mind. Enjoy your cruise on the Spirit! 

[Jamman54]

The Miami-Dade Police are keeping an eye on us…..

 

 

Here are a couple of views of Fisher Island…..

 

 

 

We are approaching South Beach…..

 

 

We are sailing by South Pointe Park and Smith & Wollensky…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

We are still following the Carnival Sunrise…..

 

 

We are now sailing by South Beach and the Fishing Pier…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are leaving Miami behind. See you in eight days!

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued…..

[blarko]

11 minutes ago, Jamman54 said:

 

We are still following the Carnival Sunrise…..

 

What class ship is the Sunrise? 🛳️

[scottasp]

Last time we were on the Sunrise we met you and Patti on our cruise to almost nowhere. If had had known we were just going to float around for the week I would have bought the cheers package. We got the 100 percent FCC but still got a bar bill that was crazy. Still enjoying your review. Thanks to both of you.

 

Scott

[scottasp]

10 minutes ago, blarko said:

What class ship is the Sunrise? 🛳️

It is the Triumph that has been sun shined. 

[Jamman54]

50 minutes ago, blarko said:

What class ship is the Sunrise? 🛳️

It's considered the Sunshine Class. 😎

[Jamman54]

42 minutes ago, scottasp said:

Last time we were on the Sunrise we met you and Patti on our cruise to almost nowhere. If had had known we were just going to float around for the week I would have bought the cheers package. We got the 100 percent FCC but still got a bar bill that was crazy. Still enjoying your review. Thanks to both of you.

 

Scott

Hey Scott! Of course we remember you guys. What a great cruise to Charleston! I think we all made the best of it. Great memories! 😎